New students gather in the Pitman Theatre for Alverno College's Convocation in August. Alverno College has become the first higher education institution in Wisconsin to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution.(Photo11: Gary Porter/Alverno College)Buy Photo

As colleges and universities across the country struggle to become more racially diverse and welcoming to all students, Alverno College has reached a coveted diversity milestone that also will open the door to millions of dollars in federal grants and scholarships.

Twenty-seven percent of the 1,732 full-time, undergraduate enrollment at the private Catholic school for women this fall identify as Hispanic. That surpasses a 25% threshold to be nationally designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Alverno is the first higher education institution in Wisconsin to receive that designation from the U.S. Department of Education. It's one of 14 in the Midwest, and one of 276 in the U.S.

Marquette University and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee over the past year have set their sights on achieving the same distinction.

Alverno has consciously recruited and mentored Latina women, but it did not set out to win the federal designation, college officials said.

"This is who we are as a school," said Ruth Lopez de Arenas, an Alverno alumna who has been an undergraduate admissions counselor since 2016 and is taking on a new role as Alverno's coordinator of Hispanic outreach and success.

"Our culture has always been very inclusive," Lopez said. "We're here to help all of our students succeed, whether they are high school students, transfer students or parents of three children. We just want women to succeed."

In her new role, Lopez will work on strengthening partnerships with Hispanic community organizations and prospective students and their families. She also will lead efforts to ensure current students succeed.

The new Hispanic-Serving Institution designation, under the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities umbrella, will benefit all Alverno students, not just Hispanic students. Any student attending a HACU institution may apply for a scholarship to use for scholarly opportunities like student travel, study abroad and internships.

Federal agencies that provide additional grants and scholarships to students at HACU institutions include the departments of agriculture, education, health and human Services, housing and urban development, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The new designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution is about more than money; it's also about campus culture at a time when many schools around the country are experiencing isolated incidents of racism against students of color.

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Alex Hernandez (left) and Leslie Moreno, take an exam in a class at Alverno College dealing with working effectively within diverse groups of people.(Photo11: Michael Sears/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

"Alverno's Latina students and other students of color are among the future leaders of Milwaukee, our region and beyond," Alverno President Andrea Lee said. "Most important, we commit to remaining one of Wisconsin's most ethnically diverse colleges."

Growing population

Nationwide, Hispanics are the second-largest racial or ethnic group in the U.S., now accounting for more than 17% of the population.

The Latino population in metro Milwaukee has tripled since 1990 to about 160,000, or 10.2% of the region's total population. Without a growing Latino population, the Milwaukee area would have lost 6% of its population between 1990 and 2014, according to a study released last year by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

Lopez spends time at high schools in the Milwaukee area that serve high percentages of students from Spanish-speaking families.

She grew up on Milwaukee's south side and didn't see herself going to a private college. Her father worked at a meat-packing plant and her mother did not work outside the home. Neither parent had a high school education.

"They just knew an education was important," said Lopez, now 30.

She enrolled at Alverno in 2014 at age 26 — married with three children — and graduated last May just short of her 30th birthday with a degree in community leadership and development. She also had one more child while in school.

Young Latina women who don't see themselves at a private college see Lopez at their high schools, and she helps them and their parents through the hoops first-generation college students may find daunting.

"One of my favorite things is when parents come in reluctant; they don't speak English well. They just know their kids need an opportunity, and they're looking for somebody they can trust," Lopez said.

Alverno senior Melissa Rojas, a graduate of Milwaukee's Reagan High School, works in the college admissions office. She's majoring in business and management and leads campus tours in both English and Spanish.

"Alverno's a very comfortable place, and the location is pretty great," said Rojas, who lives at home, on Milwaukee's south side.

Milwaukee's Hispanic community is largely concentrated on the south side, within a few miles of Alverno.

Rojas is involved with the college's program for first-generation students, which puts her in contact with other Hispanic students and an additional adviser.

Alejandra Salinas, a freshman from Milwaukee who attended Brookfield Academy on full scholarship, also lives at home about five minutes from the campus.

Salinas recalled visiting the campus with her parents; her dad speaks English and her mother does not. The college translates awards ceremonies for parents, she said.

Rojas said speaking Spanish on campus tours changes the experience for parents who did not attend college but want more for their children. "It makes it seem more attainable, or visually more possible," she said. "They think, 'She can do it, and my daughter can, too.' "

Marquette University last fall set a goal of being designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and "continues to make positive strides," according to spokesman Chris Stolarski.

Marquette developed a five-part plan: enhancing relationships with Hispanic and Latino communities; recruitment and yield strategies; improving the student experience for Hispanic and Latino students; diversifying faculty and curricula; and encouraging shifts in institutional practices and culture.

This academic year, 12% of Marquette's undergraduates are of Hispanic descent, including a first-year class that is 16.3% Hispanic. Those numbers are up from last academic year — 10.6% and 13.3%, respectively — and continues a trend over the past three or four years, Stolarski said.